Gambling in JordanLike several countries in the Middle East, Jordan is a Muslim state following the teachings of the Quran, which strictly forbid all forms of gambling. In all countries where Islam is the official religion, gambling and games of chance are considered the fourteenth greater sin and are called “abominations of the devil”. Furthermore, the religion calls for corporal punishment on gamblers.

There has been some debate over whether lottery and bingo can be included in the same category as traditional casino games, and it looks like some states – including Jordan – decided in favor of these games. Jordanian gambling laws allow charity lottery and welfare lottery, where the grand prize is JOD 40,000. All profits are of course redirected towards charitable purposes.

The country’s hotels also have a couple of bingo halls, but apart from that, there are no licensed land-based casinos or online gambling sites in Jordan.

Online gambling in JordanAll forms of gambling are illegal in Jordan and the state government does not hand out licenses for online casinos. However, this does not mean that people stay away from gambling. There is some heavy online betting going on in Jordan, as internet censorship is relatively light and the state does not block foreign operators.

This means that the only things stopping players from accessing online casinos and poker sites are their own moral and religious standards. And these are often disregarded when it comes to virtual gambling.